Truex to change engine, start Texas from the rear

Truex to change engine, start Texas from the rear

Martin Truex Jr. and three others will start Sunday’s AAA Texas 500 from the rear.

Truex’s Furniture Row Racing team changed the engine in his Toyota, giving up the 13th starting position and forcing Truex to start from the back for the second straight week. The No. 78 failed post-qualifying inspection at Martinsville, but Truex worked his way back up to the lead before Joey Logano bumped him on the final lap and took the win.

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The defending series champion was 10th in the Saturday morning practice session and third in final practice.

Truex goes into Sunday’s race above the cutline in the NASCAR Playoffs by 25 points. He finished second in this race last season.

Daniel Suarez and Chris Buescher will also move to the rear because of engine changes. Suarez had qualified 19th in his Joe Gibbs Racing Toyota. Buescher was to start 21st. The No. 37 JTG Daugherty team, which will switch to Hendrick Motorsports engines next season, had been using an HMS engine this weekend to get acquainted with it.

Matt DiBenedetto is also going to the rear from the 31st position. The No. 32 Go Fas Racing team made a transmission change.

Kelly Crandall

Kelly has been on the NASCAR beat full-time since 2013, and joined RACER as chief NASCAR writer in 2017. Her work has also appeared in NASCAR.com, the NASCAR Illustrated magazine, and NBC Sports. A corporate communications graduate from Central Penn College, Crandall is a two-time George Cunningham Writer of the Year recipient from the National Motorsports Press Association.